Electric outlet circuit indicator



Jan. 20, 1953 w KOEPKE 2,625,759

ELECTRIC OUTLET-CIRCUIT INDICATOR Filed May 7, 1951 /2 IN VEN TOR. 5 I6 9 8 Will/27m Fwy/CA Koep/re BY Fly 5 E \p \S I Patented Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC OUTLET CIRCUIT INDICATOR William Frederick Koepke, San Francisco, Calif.

Application May 7, 1951, Serial No. 225,011

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in electrical outlet circuit indicators, whereby there will be indicating means associated with each outlet to indicate the circuit to which the outlet is connected.

The principal object of this invention is to provide removable means which may be readily attached to any electrical outlet without altering the construction of the outlet.

A further object is to provide a device which will accommodate for single 01' multiple outlets.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is economical to manufacture, easy to install and one which is not unsightly.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my indicator blank;

Fig. 2 is a persepctive view showing the blank in folded position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a pair of outlets and plate therefor, with my invention applied thereto, and on an enlarged scale; I

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

In the wiring of buildings, such as houses, factories, hotels, apartment houses and the like, it is necessary to have a multiplicity of circuits to various electrical outlets remotely located from the service or fuse panel.

Up to the present time there is no manner of indicating to What circuit a particular outlet may be attached and, therefore, when trouble occurs. such as a short circuit in one of the lines, it is often difficult to trace all of the outlets on this circuit.

Applicant has therefore devised a very simple arrangement which may be positioned beneath the customary outlet plate, which attachment will carry a sliding member upon which the circuit-identifying indicia is marked, as for instance, a circuit number or code.

A similar marker will be placed upon each one of the outlets on the single circuit. Therefore it is possible for a person to quickly ascertain all of the outlets in a circuit without depending 2 upon the memor of the electrician or maintenance man.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates (see Fig. l), a blank which has a series of openings 6 punched therethrough and scored, as shown at l, in dotted lines.

A slider 8 is slidably secured through slots formed in the blank so that the same may occupy the full-line position shown in this figure, or the dotted line position.

This slider has an upturned end 9 which prevents withdrawal of the slider past the edge H of one of the slots.

The free end of the slider is also turned up, as shown at [2.

Openings [3 are punched in the blank so as to accommodate for the screws ordinarily used in fastening the plate to the outlet box which outlet box is shown at M in Fig. 5, and which outlet box is normally covered by an outlet plate [6 having openings l1 and I8, through which access is gained to the outlets l9 and 2| respectively.

Assuming that one of my devices has been folded as shown in Fig. 2, the same is inserted beneath the plate I 6 as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This will cause the upturned end l2 of the slider 8 to lie parallel and close to the edge of the plate I6, and hardly noticeable.

However, when the person wishes to ascertain to what particular circuit this outlet is connected, it is merely necessary to move the slider from the full line position of Figs. 3 and 5, to the dotted line position, at which time the indicia carried upon the slider may be observed and the particular circuit ascertained.

When a single outlet box is encountered, the blank is cut in half along the scored line 22.

It will thus be seen that I have accomplished all of the objects set forth above.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A circuit indicator for electrical outlets comprising a blank having openings formed therein and adapted to be folded on at least two spaced parallel lines, said openings coinciding when said blank is folded upon itself, a slider carried by an intermediate portion of said blank, said slider having an upturned end for engagement with an outlet plate secured to the outlet to which the indicator is attached, and indicia carried by said slider.

2. A circuit indicator as in claim 1, wherein the blank is slitted to provide guide tongues for the slide, said blank having an opening therein in line with the slider and an upstanding pro- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,857,079 Cook May 3, 1932 1,872,480? Posner Aug. 23, 1932 

